Lubrication of vertical-shaft machinery.



L. G. LONG.

LUBRICATION 0F VERTICAL SHAFT MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I3. |914.

FIG,

@Hofman LEO GUY LONG, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDINA.

LUBBICATION 0F VERTICAL-SHAFT MACHINERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. a, asis.

Application led May 13, 1914. Serial No. 838,237.

To all whom z't may concern: Be it known that I, LEO GUY LONG, a citizenof the United States, residing in the city of Indianapolis, in thecounty of Ma rion, in the State of Indiana, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in the Lubrication of Vertical-Shaft Machinery,of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same.

My invention consists in the construction and arrangement of partshereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims. Indescribing the various arrangements employed' and shown in the drawingshereto attached and described in the specification I do not limit myinvention to the precise form or construction of apparatus shown or theseveral parts thereof inasmuch as various alterations may be madewithout changing the scope of my invention. While my invention may beused on any machine using a vertical shaft and requiring the.

flooded lubrication, it is particularly valuable in electric generatorsandmotors of the vertical type which run at high speed and the object ofmy invention is to secure the maximum lubrication possible in suchmachinery. Figure l is a sectional View showing my invention in whichthe oil is made to circulate through the system of pipes and oil tubesby means of centrifugal action. Fig. 2 shows another form `of myinvention in which the circulation of the oil is effected within thebearing chamber. In the drawings 3 represents the central verticalshaft, 4 the bearing housing, 5 a support, 6 an inclosing cap, 7 acollar rigidly embracing the shaft and resting at its shoulder 8 uponball bearing inner race 10. 34 is a ball bearing which may be of anyform. The nut 9 is threaded into the lower portion of the collar 7 andserves to hold the bearing race 10 snugly against the shoulder 8. 11` isthe. annular space between the shaft and the encircling wall of thebearingchamber. 12 is .a pipeinserted into the bearing chamber.

13 is an outer dam which in Fig. 1 is also the inner wall of the bearingchamber. 14 is an elbow inserted into the base of the bearing chamber.15 is an inspection glass. 16 is a settling basin. settling basin toremove foreign matter. 18 is a filter which may be of any suitablematerial or form. 19 is a filler pipe. 20 is a filler cap. 21 isa piecewhich connects the bearing through the upper pipe.

17 is a tap in the pipe 12 with the inspection glass 15, andi22 1s afitting. 23 is a pipe. 30 is an elbow connecting the filler tube withthe fitting 22. 35 is the annular space. 36 is aninner dam. In Fig. 2,24 is the outer dam. 25 is the oil channel. 26 is a filler cap, 27 achain attached to filter 18. 29 is the lower channel which connects theoil channel 25 with thebase ofthe bearing well 38. 31 is an inspectionglass. 32 is a pipe and 33 is the face of the outerdam. 37 is anaperture in the wall of the dam, through which the oil passes into theoilchannel 25. This aperture may be of any suitable shape or size andmore than one may be used when desired The arrangement of Fig. 1, whenthe vertical shaft begins to rotate the oil within the bearing chamberis by centrifugalforce moved outwardly and gradually rises along theface of the outer dam of the bearing chamber until it reaches the pipe12 whereupon it Hows through the pipe 12, through the upper fitting 21,the glass tube 15 thence into the fitting 22, thence passes through thefilter 18, thepipe 23, and thence through the elbow 14 into the base ofthe bearing well. As soon as motion starts within the bearing and theoil starts to climb the sides of the inner wall of the bearing chamberthe oil level is lowered in the glass tube and this creates a certainsuction in thev upper pipe and aids'i'ndrawing the oil out of the At thesame time the point of low pressure w-ithin the bearing is near thepoint of entrance of the inner pipe and a second suction is created atthis point tending to draw oil in from the tubes. When the bearingsrotate at high rates of speed the oil within the bearing chambers isagitated and churned until it is in a foamy condition and in suchcondition it is of slight lubricating value but by my invention I amable to secure an approximately constant lubrication by oil freefrombubbles and froth. The pipe 12 is placed at such a point in the wall ofthe bearing chamber that it will carry off the oil when the shaft is inmotion. The oil so expelled through this outlet pipe passes throughfitting 21, glass tube 15, fitting 22, pipe 23 and elbow 14 into thebase of the bearing well.' The pipe 23 is made small enough so as topermit only a sufficient quantity of oil for the bearing to be drawnback into the .bearing chamber, The oil thus slowly ows through pipe 28and an excess of oil in the bearmg chamber is avoideds Such an excess ofolil tends t0 increase the agitation and foaming. Another advantageresulting from making the return pipe 23 small is to prevent a backsurging of the oil when the motor stops. Under high speed the oil isthrown outwardly against the walls of the bearing chamber and theinertia of the moving oil holds it about the outer circumference of thecontainer until the shaft has practically stopped, and then upon losingthe effect of this inertia it surges back to the shaft through theannular space 35 4and over the inner dam 36 thereby setting up a siphonaction which often will completely empty the bearing.

Vhile in Fig. 1 I havevshown the oil conduit made up of the elements 12,21, 15, 22, 23 and 14, it is obvious that a lesser number of pieces maybe used without1 departing from the scope of my invention. Instead ofusing the glass tube 15 I may instead use a metallic tube. Likewise, Imay substitute av glass tube in place of the metallic one shown at 19.The filter is shown as a cone but may be any desired shape and material.The settling basin receives the foreign matter which fails to passthrough the filter and the tap 17 is used to remove same, althouh filterand settling basin may both be omitted.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 1, I prefer to use on shafts where theheating of the oil is very great and the arrangement of Fig. 2 onordinary vertical shafting. However, either arrangement may be usedsuccessfully on swiftly moving shafts.

In Fig. 2 the oil is thrown outwardly under rotation and rises againstthe wall 21 of the outer dam. Instead of passing through lthe pipe 12 itpasses through the aperture 37 into the oil channel 25. Thenit flowsthrough the small channel 29 into the base of the bearing well. To thefilter cap 26 is attached a chain by which vthe filter 28 is removed. Ido not show a settling basin below the filter but it may be easilyprovided. The inspection glass 31 shows the height of the oil in the'bearing chamber. The oil iiowing into the oil channel is cooled bymingling with a larger to be lubricated, and a bearing therefor, of

a housing formed to provide a chamber of a slZe to contain the bearmgand also to 4serve as a reservoir for a considerable body of lubricant,the lubricant being free to rise in such chamber under the action ofcentrifugal force when the shaft israpidly revolved, an oil chamberoutside t-he housing, a communicatmg channel umtlng the saidl oilchamber with the bearing chamber within the housing at a level abovethat occupied by the body of oil within the bearing chamber when atrest, the said-channel being free and open to permit the easy and rapidiiow of the oil from the bearing chamber when elevated therein bycentrifugal force to the level of the openin into said channel, `and afreely open channe uniting the lower parts of the oil chamber and thebearing chamber wit-hin the housing.

2. The combination with a vertical shaft and a bearing therefor, of ahousing in which the bearing for the shaft is arranged, there being abearing chamber within t-he housing of a size to serve as a reservoirfor a considerable body of lubricant and through the walls of which areopenings, one being at a level above that of the body of lubricant whenat rest and the other below such level, an oil settling and coolingchamber outside the housing through which the lubricant circulates whenthe shaft re. volves, and freely open conduits uniting the said oilcooling and sett-ling chamber andthe bearing chamber within the housingconnected respectively with the latter through the aforesaid apertures.

